The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Armonk (Sept 2015)

Hot Runway Trends … at LOL Kids

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Kids still want to make a good first impression on the first day of school. Here are some hot runway trends this fall.

cool oneBlack-and-white and monochrome photo prints are in! Think leggings, skirts or pants in monochrome–that spells out infinite possibilities for mixing and matching. For boys: paint splatters have been seen in every line of jeans this fall, making jeans the easiest and the most fashionable choice of wear. And, of course: layers layers layers, think little moto jackets for both boys and girls–in faux leather!

Visit: lolkidsarmonk.com

A Cool Home

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If you are looking for a place to call home, and a cool home, too, Armonk, NY, well, defines cool.

Mike Dardano Photos
Mike Dardano Photos
Consider the summer’s First Thursday event supporting residents and their families and North Castle merchants alike. From coverage of entertainment in gorgeous Armonk Square, it’s clear that smiles were in no short supply. You can always catch our coverage too on Facebook via the Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines Facebook biz page; I’ll typically share my news with “Armonk Moms” too, which I know many follow. I know I don’t want to miss the last First Thursday on September 3rd; and look forward to what next summer brings.

“Save the date” events are always wonderful, but for the “everyday” and to fill leisure time in between, consider a hike,  perhaps with a friend or your significant other to clear your mind or solidify a bond. We are happy to bring you a “keeper” of a story highlighting the wonderful nature offerings in North Castle–great places to walk and hike on a beautiful fall day, perhaps.

I’m especially thrilled we can also point the way to “hidden gem” playgrounds galore. My own kids are 19 and 23, but memories of playground time with them will never leave me. A dear friend and I (“Sue” now lives outside of San Francisco), called ourselves “the Playground hoppers.” We’d pen in dates for our two- year-old boys to “find a new one” locally or venture elsewhere in Westchester. Each playground had its own unique “personality;” a visit was an adventure that would reenergize us, and to the kids, mini vacation! The boys grew closer, and so did we. We’d pack sandwiches, juice, water…and GO!  Before you know it, your littlest ones will be boarding the kindergarten bus, and carefree playground odysseys will become fewer and more precious.

If you are already “past those years,” we’ve got “back to school” well covered, too, with a profile of Superintendent Donohue and a close up of the BHPTSA. A look back at a fundraising walk for the amazing Sunrise Day Camp and a story about an exceptional camp for your youngest rock stars help round out the issue too. Enjoy! — Grace

BACK TO COOL: A Balancing Act

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Beth Head shotWasn’t it just yesterday we were hunkered down, huddled and hibernating? Summer couldn’t come fast enough and then, blink, it’s almost over.

Unfortunately, we can’t stop time. But we can reframe our approach to its inevitable passage. In that spirit, we present our latest issue, not so much as a Back to School reminder but, instead, a Back to Cool primer.

There’s a growing sense of awareness that we’re becoming ever more over-extended, and that the very things that were supposed to make life easier are, instead, making it more stressful. Our smartphones were supposed to allow us more freedom, but, too often, we’re hostage to their ringtones, alerts, vibrations. We’ve gone from a largely understood and widely accepted schedule of work/play balance to an expectation of 24/7 availability. What’s more, these devices frequently separate us from each other, even when we’re actually together!

Additionally, we’re paying more attention to the long-term negative effects of pressure, and it’s affect on mental health, particularly that of our children. Where even one report is one too many, sadly, there has been a seeming onslaught of recent suicide stories focusing primarily on high school and college-aged children and young adults. While the media is varied–from newer online publications like the Huffington Post to venerable print publications like The New York Times–the message is consistent: Pressure, and in particular, performance pressure–whether social, education, sports-related and/or arts-related–is overwhelming our young people and making them vulnerable. Something needs to change.

We’re proud to have published two related articles last December, Time To Talk by Janine Crowley Haynes and When It’s Personal by Rich Klein, on this very topic; prouder still that the Mental Health Association of Westchester has chosen to honor the Inside Press and Publisher Grace Bennett with a “MHA Media Award” for consistent and in depth coverage on topics related to mental health in recent years. I know Janine and Rich’s stories resonated with our readers, and that they were further shared far and wide. Ultimately, that’s what makes us most proud; the opportunity to shed light, share information and help to bring about much needed change.

I have two college-aged children, and, while their paths have certainly had bumps along the way, I like to think they’ve both come to relatively “good places” in their lives. Still, it’s part of my Mom job description to worry. When kids are away at school, that worry becomes more abstract, but those aforementioned stories bring it up close, and make me long for my kids and for a real live hug, not a virtual xoxo.

No, virtual worlds just aren’t good enough. As an empty nester, I realize my kids’ time at home is ever more limited and I enjoy them all the more for knowing that. I felt particularly fortunate that my daughter returned home to work another summer as a day camp counselor. There’s still nothing like a casual car conversation or a shared day of shopping to truly open the lines of communication. I’ll admit that we do our fair share of small screen surfing, but, as she points out, her generation did not grow up on iPads. I read old-school, page-filled paper books to both my children every night, and “screen time” limits were really just about the TV.

It’s very interesting to hear my daughter’s perspective on the generation that’s up and coming. For example, she found it fascinating and, in her words, “a little scary”, that the campers on her bus seemed, initially, quite out of sorts without their handheld devices (per camp rules, these were not allowed). However, the brighter news is that she was able to redirect them; they played trivia games, she brought them lanyard, they listened to music, they engaged with each other. In other words, balance was achieved.

Maybe that’s what is truly best, truly special, about these two months that we so look forward to during the other ten. Balance! As we head into a new season, I wish everyone a sense of balance. Get out and take a hike; we’ve got some great suggestions in Adventures in Armonk. Let your kids and their imaginations run free in one of the many Playgrounds we’ve discovered. Join friends and make new ones at the annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show. Love present-day Armonk? Why not Celebrate the History of North Castle as well? And, when you’re ready, do take some time to get to know Dr. Donohue and the New Byram Hills PTSA; we’ve got these stories and more in the pages ahead.

Enjoy,

-Beth

P.S.: A special thank you note for the terrific work provided by college intern Sarah Jane Weill; from a first-person report of Armonk’s new First Thursday event to a story on the annual Outdoor Art Show to an essay on college advice for freshman, Sarah Jane balanced it all with talent, enthusiasm and professionalism.

 

Celebrate the History of North Castle

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By Deborah Notis

Historic Smith’s Tavern, fitting headquarters for the North Castle Historical Society. Collections of The North Castle Historical Society Photo
Historic Smith’s Tavern, fitting headquarters for the North Castle Historical Society. Collections of The North Castle Historical Society Photo

The North Castle Historical Society, established in 1971, is rich in local and national history. Headquartered at Historic Smith’s Tavern on Bedford Road in Armonk, the North Castle Historical Society has a membership of almost 500 addresses with 23 trustees.

The North Castle Historical Society is dedicated to promoting and encouraging the study of North Castle’s history. Historians affiliated with the North Castle Historical Society engage in continuous research to uncover new insights into the history of North Castle. The historians also work to preserve buildings of historical and architectural interest.

“We invite our community to learn and celebrate our vibrant history,” states Sharon Tomback, the Recording Secretary for the North Castle Historical Society’s Board of Trustees. She points out several noteworthy points of interest in the area, including the Widow Brush House, known to many residents as La Cremaillere Restaurant, the Middle Patent Rural Cemetery, which is the oldest cemetery in North Castle, and the Elijah Miller House, which served as Washington’s headquarters in 1776.

Historic Smith’s Tavern, the headquarters of the North Castle Historical Society, is a landmark property. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the tavern provided multiple, unique purposes. At some point, Historic Smith’s Tavern served as everything from a military headquarters, a taproom and a town hall to a stagecoach stop and post office. In the 20th century, Smith’s Tavern was a private residence, a schoolhouse and even a restaurant.

In addition to the North Castle Historical Society’s headquarters at Smith’s Tavern, the Society operates three other historical buildings–the Brundage Blacksmith Shop, the East Middle Patent One-Room Schoolhouse and the 1798 Quaker Meeting House. Each ancient building is furnished to reflect the colonial era. Brundage operates a forge and other tools that would be used in a traditional, colonial era blacksmith’s shop. The Schoolhouse accommodated first through eighth graders throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Furnished like a colonial era classroom, the schoolhouse has a working school bell that can still be rung by visitors.

The North Castle Historical Society hosts several rotating exhibits. Period clothing, quilts, colonial era photographs and photographs from collections, dolls, shoemaking, and postage and greeting cards from various collections. “We have wonderful volunteers who staff the Educational Center on Wednesdays and Sundays. They welcome both drop-in visitors and pre-scheduled groups,” notes Tomback.

Every year, local fourth grade classes schedule a Colonial Crafts Day with the North Castle Historical Society. The students spend approximately five hours doing up to 13 separate activities. They make candles, quilt, perform tinsmithing, watch the blacksmith at work, practice writing with a quill, make butter and participate in various other workshops designed to give them a flavor of colonial life.

The North Castle Historical Society also hosts several community events throughout the year. They sponsor meetings and lectures. This year, they planned a wine tasting and a Halloween Haunt. The wine tasting took place at the Historic Smith’s Tavern’s Educational Complex on August 2nd. The Halloween Haunt, scheduled for October, will also be held at Smith’s Tavern. Pumpkin decorating, games, snacks and ghost stories are planned for this fun-filled afternoon. Both of these events serve as fundraisers and are open to the community. The objective is to increase local awareness about as well as help raise funding for the North Castle Historical Society.

Interestingly, the North Castle Historical Society does not receive any government support. With donations and volunteers, it maintains the inside and outside of the historic buildings, runs all programs, and continues to research the vital history of North Castle. The trustees hope residents will donate their time and funds to help to keep these buildings and their programs relevant and available to the community at large.

“There are hundreds of interesting history lessons in North Castle,” notes Tomback. If residents want to learn about The Battle of White Plains, the Underground Railroad stop between North White Plains and Armonk, or the history of the Kensico Dam, the information is available through the North Castle Historical Society. And the North Castle Historical Society encourages people to invest in the history that makes North Castle a historically unique place to live.

Deborah Notis is a freelance writer and owner of gamechanger, LLC, a free referral service connecting Westchester families to highly qualified instructors.

A New Season for the Byram Hills PTSA

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The 2015-2016 BHPTSA Executive Board, shown left to right. Back row: Edi Lentini, Toni Nieves, Rob Fermann, Abby Woodworth, Robin Jacobs, Petrie Verma, Lara Stangel. Front row: Khatija Lad- hani, Nanci Keltz, Leslie Goldman, Dana Goldman, Hollie Levy
The 2015-2016 BHPTSA Executive Board, shown left to right. Back row: Edi Lentini, Toni Nieves, Rob Fermann, Abby Woodworth, Robin Jacobs, Petrie Verma, Lara Stangel. Front row: Khatija Lad- hani, Nanci Keltz, Leslie Goldman, Dana Goldman, Hollie Levy

By Deborah Notis

It is an exciting time in the Byram Hills school district as the BHPTSA, the Parent Teacher Student Association, is growing and re-branding itself. The BHPTSA is dedicated to creating a sense of community and unity for the parents, teachers, school administration and students in the Byram Hills school district. With the extremely capable Abby Woodworth at the helm, the BHPTSA will continue to foster a familiar, safe and productive environment for the children.

“I’m so proud to say that there is a renewed and reinvigorating spirit among our community as parents recognize the amazing and important programming we provide for their children and them, and they want to be a part of that,” states outgoing BHPTSA president, Lara Stangel. Stangel, who served as BHPTSA President for the past two years, oversaw approximately 14 BHPTSA Board Members, 20 Assistant Vice Presidents, and 200 class parents. This valuable group of volunteers helps to unite the Byram Hills families, the teachers and the district administrators into a cohesive community.

Throughout her tenure, Stangel spearheaded multiple groundbreaking initiatives such as revamping the school spirit-wear line, creating an Advocacy Committee, and moving the Byram Hills PTSA directory online. The effect of these programs resonated throughout the district.

The completely new school spirit-wear line, organized by Merchandising Committee Chair Hollie Levy, brought innovative ideas to make Byram Hills-wear more current. This had an even greater impact as the increased sales have helped to fund several other programs, including the Health and Safety program and the Author Book series.

The new Advocacy Committee provides parents, teachers and community members with a forum in which to gather information regarding ever-changing, state-based educational expectations like the common core, budget cuts and teacher assessments. The Advocacy Chair, Danielle Fox, took the community’s feedback to Albany during the last year, to hopefully help them to make real and effective changes in the education system.

Bringing the BHPTSA directory online was a significant accomplishment, only made possible by the hard work of long-time members, Diane Rowan, Susan Deangelos, Katie Herbert, and Deepak Thadani. The new, eco-friendly directory is available on computers, iPads, and mobile phones, giving the Byram Hills community easy access to all of this information.

Incoming BHPTSA president Woodworth is hoping to enhance the programs that Stangel implemented and to build several other programs designed to strengthen the bonds amongst community members and the school district. She is working to increase enthusiasm for the new online directory, understanding that some families still appreciate that hard copy, go-to book. Woodworth is also trying to fill the bucket of BHPTSA volunteers, creating an even stronger support network for the schools, the children, and the community. “In past years, we were begging for volunteers. This year, we plan to reach out to the community as early as possible to encourage greater involvement from the get-go.”

Coman Hill Vice President Petrie Verma stresses the importance of encouraging families with younger children to join the BHPTSA right away. “The most important thing is the children,” notes Verma, who is excited about the “recent infusion of parents with younger children getting involved with the BHPTSA.”

To that end, Woodworth is implementing several “get to know you” activities, targeting kindergarten families and families new the school district. First, she is planning a kick-off event for younger families to become acquainted with each other and the BHPTSA. This event will hopefully be held off school grounds, at a volunteer’s home, so that people can become acquainted in an informal, relaxing setting. She is hoping to have several movie nights and other school-based events to get families together, inside the schools throughout the cold winter months.  And, she wants the kindergarten to host an end of the year picnic to celebrate the children’s first school year in the district. She is counting on the support of current BHPTSA volunteers to make all of this possible.

“I have an all star team of volunteers. My job is really easy because most of our volunteers have been helping the BHPTSA for years. They are the pros,” states Rob Furman, H.C. Crittenden Middle School’s Vice President. He stresses that much of the heavy lifting–the organizing, the managing, and the implementing of programs–is done behind the scenes by a skeleton of volunteers. As a result, Furman thinks that it is these “invisible” volunteers who have the greatest impact on the Byram Hills community.

While he likes to let his committee chair people run their programs on the middle school level, Furman sees his role as a facilitator for Crittenden and the entire district. “As members of the Executive Board, the Vice Presidents work for all Byram Hills schools and all budgets.” The Executive Board’s team works exceptionally well together, and Furman credits Treasurer Nanci Keltz for getting rid of bank fees for the BHPTSA and facilitating the DiCicco’s supermarket donation program, a program that gives one percent of all DiCicco’s sales directly back to the school district.

While the Executive Board works together to oversee the programs throughout the school district, one of President Woodworth’s most important responsibilities is to organize class parents in every school. Class parents play an invaluable role in the BHPTSA, acting as the link between the teachers, administration and families. Woodworth will work closely with her Vice Presidents, Toni Nieves at Byram Hills High School, Furman at H.C. Crittenden Middle School, Sharon Eder and Dana Goldman at Wampus Elementary School, and Verma at Coman Hills Elementary School, to make sure that the class parent program is running smoothly.

Abby Woodworth (L), the incoming president, Dr. Donohue and Lara Stan- gel share a moment at the BHPTSA Spring Luncheon honoring retirees as well as the outgoing and incoming executive board.
Abby Woodworth (L), the incoming president, Dr. Donohue and Lara Stan- gel share a moment at the BHPTSA Spring Luncheon honoring retirees as well as the outgoing and incoming executive board.

The class parents, vice presidents, and President Woodworth are also responsible for getting the word out about upcoming programs offered by the district. This year, the BHPTSA is proud to sponsor several programs for parents and children, and to help enhance the classroom experience. This year, parents can look forward to a seminar led by Ron Lieber, author of The Opposite of Spoiled and A Global Village Cookbook, and students will participate in activities like Halloween Window Painting, Nutrition Week, and Colonial Crafts Day. Woodworth credits the BHPTSA volunteers for their work behind the scenes to make sure that the activities run seamlessly.

Woodworth is also contemplating re-branding the BHPTSA during her tenure. In the past, the BHPTSA had a student representative on board to act as a direct liaison to the students rather than relying on their parents’ voices. However, since there has not been a student representative in several years, Woodworth thinks that it might be time to drop the “S” and become the BHPTA.

Woodworth has another vital role as a liaison with the Board of Education. A member of the Board of Education is always at the BHPTSA meeting, and the BHPTSA President works closely with the Byram Hills Superintendent, Dr. William Donohue, to update the Board of Education as a voice for the community. Both Stangel and Woodworth rave about their experiences with Donohue. “I’m so grateful and lucky to have worked collaboratively with Dr Donohue during my term. His support and guidance have been key to the BHPTSA’s success,” states a smiling Stangel.

Dr. Donohue, who meets with the BHPTSA president and officers every month, sees himself as a partner, helping them to enhance their productivity. In Donohue’s opinion, the BHPTSA “makes our schools into a community for every child. They provide ready-made channels of communication. In addition, they are important advocates for our schools, providing information to parents.” Overall, this helps to create a much    tighter community.

Ultimately, Coman Hill Vice President Verma credits the incredibly close-knit community with creating a successful parent-teacher organization. And Stangel agrees, stating, “This community has a team that is exceptionally dedicated to its schools and children. I’m so proud of all we have done as a group over the last two years during my presidency.” She graciously passes the torch, offering, “I’m confident our incoming President, Abby Woodworth, who is absolutely amazing, will continue this work and strive to fulfill the mission of the National PTSA, making every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.”

Deborah Notis is a freelance writer and owner of gamechanger, LLC, a free referral service connecting Westchester families to highly qualified instructors.